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| People with larger screens use apps more frequently across all the major categories, a report says |
People in the United
States with smartphones that have screens 4.5-inches and larger use 44%
more data than those tapping away on smaller phones, according to a
recent report from the NDP group.
The wider-screened devices were used to gobble up an average 7.2
gigabytes a month in data, while smaller phones had closer to 5
gigabytes.
The larger screen real
estate might be more inviting for wasting time with Internet-connected
apps. The most popular apps for the larger-phone users are Facebook,
Google Maps, YouTube, Amazon and Pandora.
People with larger
screens use apps more frequently across all the major categories. Social
media is the most popular, followed by navigation, video, retail and
music. The apps do things people on smaller phones might switch over to
tablets or computers for.
Larger smartphones are
becoming more common, with some newer models creeping toward small
tablet sizes. Last year, 11% of available smartphones sported large
screens, but now that number is 28%. At the same time, overall data
usage for smartphones has jumped 11%.
Even Apple increased its
smartphone screen size with the iPhone 5, and there are constant rumors
the company is considering going larger for future phones.
For now, bigger screened
devices are still in the minority of phones sold, but if bigger screens
do translate to more time spent on phones, it could be a smart business
move for hardware manufacturers and wireless carriers to push the
costlier devices. More usage means more app usage and potentially
inflated wireless bills for people who don't have unlimited data plans.
The NPD group tracked how
4,500 people used their smartphones during May, June and July of this
year for the report. They looked at both Android and iOS users who used
their phones on wireless and cellular connections.
For current large-phone
owners concerned about overdoing it on data, the best way to keep those
bills down is to wait and connect to Wi-Fi instead of the cellular
network before doing any heavy streaming.
CNN
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